Holiday gift ideas from the Xtra Mile shop (2015)

- 15/12/2015 -

It's gift-giving time. You've obviously spent all your money on Black Friday and Cyber Monday like the voracious consumers we all are, but hopefully you've left pennies for some actual presents for your dearests. We have some suggestions — DISCLAIMER: all from our shop of course — which might help you decide where best to allocate those last few quids. Welcome to the XMR gift guide! This list will also work for December birthdays and other holiday presents. Whatever you decide to do with your rapidly decreasing horde of cash, remember: buying stuff is really fun!

Please note that the last date the XMR shop will be sending orders out for delivery will be 18 December. This does not guarantee delivery before Christmas because the postal system will be havoc. Any enquiries about orders will be answered upon our return to the office which will be on 4 January 2016.

For the tea and coffee fiends:

"I'm an Xtra Mile mug" mug (and accompanying tea towel)

Someone needs their caffeine / hot beverage / healthy alternative in a sturdy, dishwasher safe, ceramic mug. That someone would love this colourful and humorous vessel for their liquid breaks. It goes nicely with the "It's not rocket surgery" tea towel, when you need to dry the mug after washing it out (in case you didn't know what a tea towel was for. It's certainly not for drying tea; that's what Rich Teas are for).

For the festive aunt / uncle / other relative (but c'mon it's always your aunt or uncle who's most into this season):

Beans On Toast / Skinny Lister: 'This Christmas'

We're about to be lost in the deluge of Christmas songs, and let's be honest, most of them are rubbish. But joining the growing number of Xmas themed songs from the ever-expanding XMR musical advent calendar — including Reuben's 'Christmas Is Awesome', Möngöl Hörde's 'How The Communists Ruined Christmas', Frank Turner's cover of Wham!'s 'Last Christmas', Mull Historical Society's 'Christmas Is Here', future of the left's 'the real meaning of christmas', and the entirety of The Retrospective Soundtrack Players's album It's A Wonderful Christmas Carol (more on that later) — is this heartfelt and heartwarming number by Beans On Toast and Skinny Lister. It's a bargain, so why not buy it a bunch of times (all proceeds go to homeless charity Shelter) and give to your friends and family? Buy it for 99p here.

For the rebel with a cause:

Against Me!: '23 Live Sex Acts'

Rebels will love this. Why? Exhibit A: the album title. Exhibit B: the artwork. Exhibit C: the damn music. This two-CD / three-LP 23-track live album is a treasure trove of arcing fingers-in-air, righteous, humanity-embracing rock. From 'I Was A Teenage Anarchist' to 'Black Me Out', Laura Jane Grace and co. fight the good fight, and sound scintillating while doing it. This is the next best thing to seeing them live in front of you, and you can't really wrap the band up for Christmas can you? Buy it on triple, coloured vinyl, double CD or download here.

For those wanting new music at an unbeatable price:

Xtra Mile High Club Vol. 6: Summer In the City (download)

Alright, so we're not going to go ahead and say this will fill a stocking or anything, but it will bump up that track count on iTunes. At just £3.99, you'll be giving the gift of VALUE to whomever gets this. Twenty-four tracks of label and unsigned songs including Frank Turner, Against Me!, Dan Andriano in the Emergency Room, Northcote, PJ Bond, Beans On Toast, Felix Hagan, Skinny Lister and tonnes more. Introduce someone to Xtra Mile for like hardly any money, TODAY (or at Christmas)! Buy the digital compilation here.

For fashionistas who love obscure t-shirts:

Any of our t-shirts!

We have a load of exclusive and not-exclusive, but still cool, clothing to be worn and loved by anyone with eyes. Why not have a look here for some colourful, tasteful, and wild designs for bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Mull Historical Society, Mineral, Reuben, Against Me!, Frank Turner, Million Dead, Oxygen Thief, Jamie Lenman and Cheap Girls?

For those in serious need of new wallpaper:

Posters!

Got flock wallpaper? Or some flowery awfulness punishing your walls? Ever thought "let's pretend I went to this amazing gig and ripped the poster off the wall of the venue and then plastered my wall with them"? Know someone who is thinking this RIGHT NOW? Well, now you can let them do exactly this by buying the remaining posters for a few special events that people wish they had souvenirs from. In all seriousness, if people can't stop talking about that short Möngöl Hörde tour a couple of years back, perhaps grabbing them this signed poster might make them quiet around you. It's a good bargaining tool. Look for posters (and other stuff) in our merchandise section.

For those desiring a good story:

Colin Macintyre: The Letters of Ivor Punch

Okay so this isn't in our store but seeing as this has won the First Book Award at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and Colin / Mull Historical Society is a completely lovely man, we'd be remiss not to mention it as a potential gift. This is a funny, charming and poignant tale that wraps Colin's lyrical knack and storytelling suss we all know and love into novel form. Give it to anyone who reads books. Good ones. With no pictures in. Buy it from Amazon or from other good book shops.

For fans of the films 'It's A Wonderful Life' and 'A Christmas Carol':

Yep. Binding the twin, bittersweet but heart warming classic movies into a musical narrative that is as seasonally effective as any Yule accoutrements, The RSP (as the kids call them) made one of the more emotional Christmas albums last year. It also features three of XMR's favourites: Frank Turner, Chris T-T and Ben Marwood as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet To Come. It's still as resonant and impressive this year, and every year, so why not grab a CD or vinyl copy for playing during Christmas dinner. Just you try and stop your family joining in for the rousing chorus of 'No Man Is Poor Who Has Friends'! Buy it on vinyl, CD and download here.

For the stocking:

Sale CDs!

We have a bunch of sale CDs which are perfect stocking fillers. These include the two brilliant albums by Ben Marwood, Chris T-T's excellent Love Is Not Rescue, two of Straight Lines off-kilter pop-punk records, and a collection of solo EPs by Jim Ward from At the Drive-In. This will be updated on occasion so keep checking back to see what else might be cheap and make you very cheerful. Go to the full sale selection here.

For the live music aficionado:

Gigs!

If your loved one(s) adore gigging, live music and club nights, why not buy them some tickets via our XMR gigs calendar? Click through the months, see who's on when and click the links inside. Easy! You can start by considering the Xtra Mile Xmas Xtravaganza at The Monarch, Camden on Thursday 17 December: tickets are right here. £7, DJs all night, and a little live music from To Kill A King, Rob Lynch and Oxygen Thief side project, Non Canon.

For feminists:

Esmé Patterson: Woman To Woman

There's a reason we put out 'Woman To Woman' by Esmé Patterson, and that's because the songs are excellent. Perhaps just as good is the idea: taking songs – by men about women – that are considered classics, then giving the female perspectives in all-new compositions. Esmé has a wonderful voice, when singing and writing, and brings these 2D characters to life with personalities, worries, strength, charm and humour all their own. Any decent human being will get a kick out of this record, even without knowing the songs being referenced. Though 'Billie Jean' and 'Jolene' are just two of them, and everyone knows them. Buy it on vinyl, CD or download.

For the mid-2000s British heavy rock fan:

Million Dead: Harmony No Harmony & Reuben: Very Fast Very Dangerous

Both Reuben and Million Dead put out their second albums in 2005, and we decided to release them on vinyl for the first time this summer. These records have gone down as exceptional documents of that time in British rock music, and hold up extremely well today. You can also get them on CD or download if you prefer. Whether an old school fan (is ten years ago old school? We guess it is) or a Frank Turner / Jamie Lenman fan intrigued by their former heavy sides, you're in for a real treat. Get Reuben on vinyl, CD or download here. You can also get the reprinted classic t-shirt. Million Dead vinyl, CD and download is here. You can also get a newly designed t-shirt here and bundles with vinyl or CD aswell.

For the forgetful:

Bobby Banjo Christmas cards!

You should've sent all your Christmas cards now (if you were planning to – no pressure) but if you somehow forgot or have decided last minute to sort it out, here's us to the rescue. These Christmas cards by Bobby Banjo rule, mainly because it mixes winter animals, wrestling and cartoon violence (the latter two being basically the same thing). Being mates and musical collaborator with Beans On Toast, you know Banjo is a decent bloke. And his art is good! So, we're basically saving you from the embarrassment of receiving cards and not giving them while also making sure your money isn't being swallowed by a corporate hole. So, you owe us. Noted. Get these amazing Christmas cards in our shop.

What are YOU getting for Christmas? Will you be putting any of these on your (last minute) Christmas list? What will you be getting family and friends? Who's the hardest person to buy for? What are you getting us then (I know, I know; it's a surprise)? Get at us on Facebook and at @Xtra_Mile on Twitter. It's good to talk.